Gee ess...you hit the nail on the head! And ZTAme, I certainly do not think there is anything tacky about being a proud member of ZTA or any other sorority as well as a staunch supporter & proud of your daughter's house. What I did a terrible job communicating is my sense of frustration or sadness lies not with these girls who end up pledging what's in their heart but with a very few of these mommas.
I have noticed one sorority in particular at Alabama, especially in the last 2 to 3 years, pledging a few girls in each pledge class whose mommas would be disappointed at the very least if their child pledged their legacy house. These are ladies who were beyond involved in rushing hometown girls to join the house they belonged to while at Alabama while their young legacy is a child years away from college. Then, when it's time for their legacy to go through rush they not only encourage a "trade up" but would be offended if their child were cut by what they deem as that trade up.
It's happening more & more. A cousin of mine, whose daughter just pledged this particular sorority last year, along with 16 or more girls from my cousin's hometown, was informing me of 3 of her daughter's pledge sisters all being legacies to houses other than the one they accepted their bid from last August. These moms were determined Suzy Q would be an XYZ with my cousin's child. After already seeing pics of one mom in particular every chance she gets with her button this other news just kinda flew all over me. I guess I feel sorry for the pledge sisters of these mommas. I think the girls are pretty savvy when it comes to realizing if they have a chance with certain legacies or if a certain rushee is only looking for a trade up.
But imagine all the pledge sisters who see pic after pic of their friend thinking she's died & gone to XYZ heaven with her daughter!! I don't mean the people who you've lost touch with who might stumble across a pic & remember you. I mean people who are in your community & that you see at functions...be it Junior League, etc, & they know how active you were in recruiting girls from your area until your own child hits the high school years & then things change.
I just think it seems thoughtless to outwardly show how proud you are of your trade up & a little more sensitivity, verbal & otherwise, would be a classier way to go

Sorry if this seems confusing. The initial lady i was referrring to has a "trade up" in real life to as far as marriage & her back story would make a great read!!!